Dryococelus australis

– Critically Endangered

Taxonomy

Kingdom:

ANIMALIA

Phylum:

ARTHROPODA

Class:

INSECTA

Order:

PHASMATOPTERA

Family:

PHASMATIDAE

Scientific Name:

Dryococelus australis

Species Authority:

(Montrouzier, 1855)

Common Name/s:

English

—

LAND LOBSTER, LORD HOWE ISLAND PHASMID, LORD HOWE ISLAND STICK-INSECT

Assessment Information

Red List Category & Criteria:

CR D ver 3.1 (2001)

Year Assessed:

2002

Assessor/s:

ANZECC Endangered Fauna Network

Evaluator/s:

Hilton-Taylor, C. & Pollock, C.M. (Red List Programme Office)

Justification:

Dryococelus australis was thought to have become Extinct around 1920 after the introduction of rats to Lord Howe Island. However, in 2001 the species was rediscovered on Balls Pyramid, a rocky outcrop 23 km from Lord Howe Island.

History:

1983	-	Endangered (Wells et al. 1983)
1986	-	Extinct (IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1986)
1988	-	Extinct (IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1988)
1990	-	Extinct (IUCN 1990)
1994	-	Extinct? (Groombridge 1994)
1996	-	Extinct (Baillie and Groombridge 1996)

Geographic Range

Range Description:	It was previously thought that Dryococelus australis was endemic to Lord Howe Island, Australia. In the 1960s, large stick insects were reported to exist on Balls Pyramid, a rocky outcrop 23 km away from Lord Howe Island (Smithers 1969). A scientific expedition to the rock in 2001 confirmed that this stick insect is Dryococelus australis (Macey 2001).
Countries:	Native: Australia

Population

Population:	After the introduction of rats to Lord Howe island in 1918, the population dwindled and the species was thought to have become extinct in 1920. Current numbers on Balls Pyramid are not known.
Population Trend:

Habitat and Ecology

Habitat and Ecology:	Dryococelus australis is a large, heavy-bodied species (Gurney 1947). On Lord Howe Island the species was found in large cavities in the trunks of living trees, emerging at night to feed. However, Balls Pyramid is a small, desolate, rock island without trees.
System:	Terrestrial

Citation:	ANZECC Endangered Fauna Network 2002. Dryococelus australis. In: IUCN 2007. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 20 July 2008.
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